Above:
Nick by Keith Ingram Photo
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Seein' Red
Anyone who had to take a bus to school knows most of the fun, and all of the trouble, happened at the back. As far away from the driver as possible was the usually the motto. When I was really young, I sat up front, far away from the noise, and the idiots at the back. As I got a bit older, I gravitated further and further back and by the time I hit grade 11, was one of those idiots.
Now, this doesn't look much like a school bus, more like a college trip, or more likely a sports team on the road. I'm not sure if buddy's red thong was discovered by his teammates, or shown off all on it's own. Either way, he seems to enjoy revealing the red. I attempted to search for more from this series, and if anyone has seen more, let me know. This is one bus ride, I wouldn't mind taking again.
Creative Consciousness: Nick Keith Ingram Photo
'Nick's physique and stature was pretty much the archetype for what I considered the “ideal” model.'
Although California based photographer Keith Ingram was a bit too young to have experienced the 'Golden Age' of male physique magazines like Physique Pictorial and Body Beautiful, they did have an impact. For so many people, especially for artists, early visuals are often implanted within the Imaginations, forming intrinsic connection with future passions and work created often decades later.
This is certainly the case for me. I can trace back so much of what I love about photography to visuals I saw, enjoyed and collected when I was a kid. I used to love pin-ups and glamour shots of both male and female actors that I saw in entertainment magazines. I used to save my favorites in a big scrapbook, even if I didn't know who actor was. Keith Ingram used to collect images as well, images he'd found and seen. Even before he started shooting himself, these images were already implanted in his creative consciousness.
'Nick's physique and stature was pretty much the archetype for what I considered the “ideal” model. I have a particular fondness for muscular models in the 5’6” to 5’8” range but I don’t encounter this body type as much as I’d like. Nick appreciated the compliment and was very excited to meet up and make magic. '
With Keith's home base being in California, and Nick, a college student in upstate New York, scheduling a shoot wasn't easy. They began communicating though, and each were mutually impressed with each other's online portfolios. Keith knew he'd work with the 21 year old wrestler turned bodybuilder from the onset, and was determined to plan a shoot on his next trip east. As you can see, an opportunity indeed arose! Keith collaborated with Wes from New Manhattan Studios to share expenses for a New York City adventure and shoot with Nick.
'The opportunities for me to shoot in a commercial photography studio are few and far between. I tend to gravitate more towards locations dependent on available light (along with some well placed strobes). Imagine my delight to be able to shoot Nick in both environments over the course of a weekend - I’m really pleased with the results!'
'I didn’t want to devote my whole time shooting with Nick to living out some retro fantasy - Nick is a fun, energetic guy with a certain devilish charm (which was his screen name at the time we met). I wanted to make sure I captured the aesthetic as well as the provocative nature of my new-found “muse”. I hope our paths cross again someday soon.'
Speaking of opportunity, I'm excited to have the opportunity to again spotlight Keith's work. I loved featuring Keith's work in the past, (HERE:) and he introduced me to shoots and models that have become some of my favorites. I actually first noticed Keith's work with Nick a few years ago, but it took awhile to pull things together. This year in particular, with Covid, the election, and the California fires, scheduling a posting time was challenging, but certainly worth the wait!
Neighborhood Food Drive
' A group of awful idiots fail at throwing a party over and over. '
Ryan Mertz
I'm not quite sure how I missed this one, but I just discovered the 2017 film Neighborhood Food Drive, and it's exceptional nude scene. In the film, Madeline and Naomi have a new upscale restaurant called Ciao in Chicago's Humboldt Park. They're facing a backlash however for their role in gentrifying the neighborhood.
The two decide to throw a neighborhood food drive at Ciao to boost their restaurant, and their image, in a positive light. They also hire a new intern to help with the planning. The intern, Bianca Pentecost (Ruby McCollister) is connected to the restaurant through her boyfriend who works at Ciao as a waiter.
Near the end of the film, Bianca has a bit of a breakdown while drawing two nude male models. The models Greg and Daniel, are played by Ryan Mertz and Kaelan Strouse. The models, being the sweet guys they are, comfort Bianca when she begins to cry. The scene is interwoven in with others, but I managed to find a clip which includes the best part of Greg and Daniel posing.
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